Test Drive - Samantha Chase Page 0,75
squeezed it. “I love that you thought of them too.”
“I know how much you love them.”
“That I do. And Mrs. Moore knows it as well, and we talked about it, and we agreed that I could still do it with Josh in the stroller. I might not be able to take them all out at one time like I do now, but in shifts. It gives Josh time outside, and it means I don’t have to let anyone down or scrambling to find new walkers for their dogs. It’s a win, win.” Her smile grew and he could feel the excitement practically vibrating off of her.
“This calls for a celebration!” Stepping around the bar, he held up a finger. “I’ll be right back.” Stepping into the back room where they kept all the wine and champagne, he found the best bottle he had and went back to get her approval.
“Oh, my goodness! Champagne?” Her laugh was pure feminine joy, and he loved knowing he was the one to make that happen. “Can we chill it a little and then save it for when the girls get here?”
“Absolutely.”
After that, Willow sat at the bar and chatted with him while he made drinks and even joked around with the staff when he was busy.
She fit.
He’d dated women who made demands on his time or who weren’t pleased when he wasn’t giving them his full attention, but not Willow. He had a feeling she would be comfortable coming and hanging out here more than just on Friday nights. But eventually he was going to have to find time to take her out on actual dates–especially if she was going to be a full-time nanny.
As she told him more about the position, he could see just how it was the perfect fit for her too. There was a lightness to her–a joy–that hadn’t been there a few days ago. Like she’d finally found her calling. He could only wonder if she had spoken to her parents about it yet. Judging by her mood, she hadn’t. He hoped they didn’t crush her enthusiasm.
“Hey! There are the new love birds!” Donna called out as she approached the bar. Levi watched with amusement as she hugged Willow before turning to him with a knowing smirk.
So clearly Willow told them about us…
He hoped she didn’t share too much.
“Willow and Levi, kissing in a tree. K-i-s-s-i-n-g,” Jen sang as she stepped up next. Winking at him, she said, “Hey, Levi. So, um…what’s new?”
He rolled his eyes before stepping around the bar and putting his arm around Willow. “Cat’s out of the bag, huh?”
“Oh, yeah,” she said with a soft laugh. “They got it out of me between penis-shaped chocolate-covered bananas, Flirtinis, and big and soft cookies.”
There were so many things in that statement that needed clarification, but…he opted to simply nod and smile. “Awesome.”
“Do you serve Flirtinis here, Levi?” Donna asked.
“Flirtinis?”
She nodded. “Yeah. It’s just vodka, champagne and pineapple juice served in a martini glass.”
“We didn’t use martini glasses last night,” Willow chimed in.
“Well, we had them, but Jen forgot them at home. We had no choice but to make do with wine glasses.”
“I think that’s why I got so drunk,” Jen said. “You have crazy big wine glasses, Willow.”
“I got them at the dollar store,” she replied with a shrug. “And you didn’t have to keep filling them up so much.”
Jen shrugged, and Levi figured it was a good time to break out the champagne. Leaning down, he whispered in Willow’s ear, “Do they know about your good news yet?”
“Not yet.”
“Not yet what?” Donna asked. “Are you trying to find an excuse to leave already so you can go and have sex?”
“What?! No! Oh, my God! Why would you even think that?”
“Because you were whispering and being all secretive! No secret telling. Ugh…please don’t be one of those couples that have to keep whispering sexy stuff in each other’s ears. I hate those couples. They’re the worst. Do you two want to be the worst after only dating for like ten minutes?”
“Hey! It’s been longer than ten minutes,” Willow argued.
“You can’t count the test drive,” Jen countered. “That doesn’t count.”
“Test drive?” Levi asked, fairly certain he was going to regret it.
“Yeah, you know, the whole fake dating thing. It was sort of like a test drive,” Jen explained. “If the two of you weren’t compatible, you probably wouldn’t be here whispering sexy stuff to each other and plotting ways to ditch us and get out of here.”
“Oh, my